Vanderbilt returns to Hawkins Field for the first time since Feb. 28, facing off against Eastern Kentucky on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.

Tickets are still available by calling 615-322-GOLD (4653) or by purchasing online at VUCommodores.com. Fans can listen to Wednesday’s broadcast on Nashville’s WNSR SportsRadio 560 AM and 95.9 FM or worldwide through the VUCommodores app. The game will also be broadcast on the SEC Network+.

The No. 13 Commodores (12-4) are coming off a 7-4 victory over No. 8 TCU on Sunday at Dodger Stadium. Vandy jumped on the Horned Frogs early, and reliever Patrick Raby worked out of key jams to help lead the Dores to a 7-4 victory.

NEED TO KNOWVanderbilt checked in at No. 14 in the inaugural RPI rankings on Monday, third-best among SEC clubs. The Commodores are 5-3 against opponents in the RPI’s Top 50 and boast the nation’s No. 27 strength of schedule.

Vandy is the only team nationally to rank in the Top 30 for batting average, earned run average and fielding percentage. The Dores are second in fielding percentage (.990), 25th in earned run average (2.78) and 26th in batting average (.306).

Vanderbilt pitching has been lights-out with runners on base. The staff has held opponents to a .197 batting average (45-for-228). Wednesday starter Jake Eder has faced 14 batters with runners on base, yielding only three hits (.214).

Following a 2-1 week that featured victories over No. 11 UCLA and No. 8 TCU, Vanderbilt rose in four polls. The Commodores made their biggest jump in the Baseball America poll, moving ahead seven spots from No. 21 to No 14.

Vanderbilt’s .990 fielding percentage rankings second nationally and first in the SEC. The Commodores have committed just six errors in 575 total chances. The program record for fielding percentage is .979 set in 2015.

Wednesday’s matchup is the final nonconference contest before the opening of SEC play. The Dores are coming off the longest regular-season road trip of the Tim Corbin era (2003-present).

The Dores are 9-1 at home this season and are 22-7 in nonconference home games since the start of the 2017 campaign.

INSIDE THE MATCHUP VS. EASTERN KENTUCKYVanderbilt and EKU (6-11) are separated by 226 miles but meet for just the second time in the history and first in 26 years on Wednesday. The Colonels won the lone matchup, a 4-1 result in 1992.

EKU is Vanderbilt's first opponent in 2018 hailing from the Bluegrass State. The Dores play four teams from Kentucky this season: Eastern Kentucky, Kentucky, Louisville and Western Kentucky.

Eastern Kentucky’s 7-6 win at No. 15 Virginia (Feb. 23) was the program’s third victory against a top-30 team in Edwin Thompson’s tenure as head coach. EKU beat No. 13 Mississippi State 16-12 on March 15, 2016. The Colonels knocked off No. 28 Kentucky 5-4 on May 3, 2016.